NURS-FPX 4900 Assessment 2 Assessing the Problem – Quality, Safety, and Cost Considerations Strategies to improve quality of care

 

One of the strategies is through the collaboration of health workers or a multidisciplinary approach. Working together as a team will reduce medical errors and improve the quality of care. Effective communication will also improve the quality of care by improving nurse-patient relationships and reducing errors. Patient education on diabetes increases awareness which also improves the quality of care. MHealth and electronic health records will reduce errors, increase accuracy and reduce discrimination, improving patient outcomes. These strategies will reduce patient admission and revisit, reducing Healthcare costs.

Part 2: Report on the Practicum Hours’ experiences.

Meeting the patient and expert

I met a patient named Paul, who had been diagnosed with diabetes when he was 62 years. The patient was a 65-year-old patient whose race was African-American. During the meeting, the patient presented with significant signs and symptoms of type two diabetes, which he claims he had struggled to control for three years. The patient admitted that there was poor communication when he was being taught how to manage his condition. The patient only recalls being taught n importance of adhering to his medications but not modifying his lifestyle. Paul also claimed that he still smokes, takes alcohol, and does not perform any exercise since he was not taught about the relationship between lifestyle factors and his condition.

In the practicum, I also interviewed a diabetic physician Dr. Bill Albert, M.D., through Zoom. Dr. Bill Albert is an expert in diabetes and hypertension. According to Dr. Bill Albert, the signs experienced by Mr. Paul could have worsened if he would not seek medical attention. He stated that the patient’s condition could have worsened if he had continued a sedentary lifestyle. Dr. Bill Albert, during the interview, insisted on the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and effective communication in managing diabetes. A lot of factors affect patients with diabetes, and there should be the collaboration of healthcare professionals in dealing with the condition. The focus should not only be placed only on medication but on other lifestyle factors that other medical professionals can help to meet, including communication between the patient and the healthcare provider on all aspects of the patient’s condition (Hong, Jo, Cardel, Huo & Mainous III, 2020). Efficient and effective communication helps identify patients’ needs, meet patient needs, and provide quality care at a lower cost.

There is evidence for using a multidisciplinary approach in managing patients with diabetes. Brocco et al., in their study, analyzed the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach in managing patients with diabetic foot (Brocco et al., 2018). According to the researchers, a multidisciplinary approach addresses all the patient’s needs, which improves the final goals. Healthcare professionals, including nurses, radiologists, physicians, and social workers, have different knowledge and skills to apply to manage diabetes patients. The action of team members by applying their skills and knowledge improves the quality of care and patient outcomes of diabetic patients. Through teamwork and collaboration, medical errors and misdiagnoses reduce, which improves patient safety and quality of care (Patel et al., 2019). Sharing knowledge and skills in a multidisciplinary approach also improves patient outcomes (Patel et al., 2019). Thus, through a multidisciplinary approach, there is improved patient safety and quality of care.

There is also enough evidence linking effective communication to improved patient outcomes and quality of care. Effective communication between health care professionals, patients, and family members improves the quality of care since it helps the patient and the relatives to understand their situations. According to Woo et al. (2017), poor communication increases medical errors, reducing care quality. Healthcare professionals should communicate effectively with the patients to assess their needs and deal with needs through effective strategies. Patient education is critical to improving the quality of care and is effective when there is effective and efficient communication. The education should address all of the patient’s needs.